Staff Reporter:
Prime Minister’s Press Secretary, eminent journalist and freedom fighter Ihsanul Karim Helal was laid to eternal rest with state honour at the Banani graveyard after his third namaj-e-janaza at Gulshan Society Mosque in the city.
He breathed his last at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) around 8pm on Sun-day at the age of 74 as he was under life-support with multiple-organ complications.
Earlier, his first nanaj-e-janaza was held at Elenbari mosque in the city at 8am while the second nanaj-e-janaza on the Jatiya Press Club (JPC) premises at 11am as hundreds of senior government officials, journalist colleagues, admirers, relatives and family members joined it.
Prior to the namaj-e-janaza at JPC, police bugles played the last post as a smart police contingent offered him an honour guard as a valiant freedom fighter while Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Dhaka district Anisur Rahman led the ceremony.
Foreign Minister and Awami League (AL) Joint General Secretary Dr. Hasan Mahmud, AL Presidium Member Dr Abdur Razzaque, Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Whip and AL Organizing Secretary Abu Sayeed Al Mahmud Swapan, Dhaka South City Mayor Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, Prime Minister’s Military Secretary Major General Kabir Ahammad, Chairman of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha () Board of Directors Martuza Ahmed, Managing Director and Chief Editor and Prime Minister’s former Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad, Daily Observer Editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Prime Minister’s Speech Writer Md Nazrul Is-lam, President of BFUJ- Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Omar Faruque, former BFUJ Presi-dent Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, former JPC President Saiful Alam, JPC President Farida Yasmin, MP, and General Secretary Shyamal Dutta, Sajjadul Hasan, MP, Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam, Direc-tor Generals and press wing officials of Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and other senior journalists as well as senior government officials were present on the occasion.
After performing the namaj-e-janaza and other Islamic burial rituals at the JPC, on behalf of Prime Min-ister Sheikh Hasina, her Military Secretary Major General Kabir Ahammad, on behalf of PMO, Cabinet Secretary Md Mahbub Hossain, on behalf of AL, its Joint General Secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim, on behalf of PMO Press Wing, PM’s Speech Writer Md Nazrul Islam, on behalf of State Minister for In-formation and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, his Personal Secretary Md Tofazzal Hossain paid rich tributes to Karim by placing wreaths on his coffin.
Later, leaders of JPC, BFUJ, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), Employees Union, officials of , Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) and Channel i, leaders of Bangabandhu Sangbadik Parishad, Editors Guild and Samprity Bangladesh as well as officials of Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) also paid homage to the valiant freedom fighter.
